Award of Merit, Rail: Etihad Rail Stage 1 (Shah-Habshan-Ruwais Railway)
Rail service in the United Arab Emirates has been limited, but a new era began in Abu Dhabi with stage one of the new Etihad Rail Network, which was completed in April. The first of three stages created a 266-kilometer link between the Shah and Habshan oil-and-gas fields and the Port of Ruwais.
As the first railway in the U.A.E., a rail-regulatory process was developed in parallel with the development of the first stage. To maintain a steady supply chain, Etihad Rail Network agreed to construct a railroad-tie factory for the project, rather than rely on production facilities in India or Australia. The U.A.E.-based facility produced approximately 700,000 railroad ties for the project.